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Article ON THE UTILITY, CHOICE, AND USE OF PLEASURES, ← Page 5 of 5 Article ANECDOTE OF A WRETCHED PORTRAIT PAINTER. Page 1 of 1
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On The Utility, Choice, And Use Of Pleasures,
a tragedy , its diction pure , sentiments grand , intrigue well conduced , catastrophe natural and judicious ; or a comedy , in which I might learn every time I laugh , to guard " against all subjects of ridicule . An Opera is less a theatrical exhibition than the assemblage of many . Music , words , singing , dancing , machines , decorations : What ex-! How different-operators ! The speclacle is brilliant , it
pence many dazzles and astonishes you ; but if you proceed to the analysis of most operas , you will find either great faults in each part , or that , out of good parts in themselves , a very indifferent whole has been made . There are few but delig ht in music : It is the most exquisite and most innocent of all pleasures ; it is a pleasure of all ages , all states , all places , and of almost all . tastes ; it may be enjoyed in its whole extent at
the expence of another , without being importunate ; and it may be also enjoyed in solitude : It prevents or alleviates the lowness of spirits , and raises the soul from the dejeftion she is sometimes thrown into by the iniquity of man . The . voice , by its sweetness and different inflexions , persuades the mind , and touches the heart ; and some are of opinion , that there is no music so agreeable as the sounds of the voice of a beloved person .
There is a sort of danger in a taste for music which should be carefully avoided ; and this is to be so much taken with it , as to make it one ' s sole or favouiite occupation . This excess is a vice of the taste , and mind ; and the man of quality , who behaves in this respedt as the musician by profession , lies open to the same ridicule as the musician who negleftsmusic : But let not the fear of being too fond of music
hinder your loving and learning it . Whoever does not love music is deprived of the most innocent of p leasures . Whoever does not know it cannot discern all its beauty ; and he has negle & ed a talent , by the help of which he mig ht possess wherewithal to amuse himself , and have an opportunity of amusing others . The principal end of music is to unbend the mind , and give it new strength , in order that it may
afterwards apply itself with better advantage to labour . As to the pleasures of the table , nothing more can bs recommended , in their use , than sobriety and moderation for health's sake ; and , in their choice and quality of preparation , the taste of the nation one lives in , or has been accustomed to , may be judged good and rational . There is no possibility of bei ' . > g an arbiter in such case ; so that all persons may enjoy " the cruditus hixas" of Petrcnius , by consulting only their own fancy and palate . FR AT . AQUIL . ROM " . Edinburgh , April 22 , 1793 .
Anecdote Of A Wretched Portrait Painter.
ANECDOTE OF A WRETCHED PORTRAIT PAINTER .
TFIIS Painter , who affefted to be a free-thinker , was one day talking very unworthily of the Bible ; a Clergyman maintained to him , that he was not only a speculative but a practical believer ; the painter diniedit ; the clergyman said he could prove it ; " you strictl y observe the second commandment , said the parson ; for in your pictures , you make not the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or in the earth beneath , or in the water under the earth . " R . J .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Utility, Choice, And Use Of Pleasures,
a tragedy , its diction pure , sentiments grand , intrigue well conduced , catastrophe natural and judicious ; or a comedy , in which I might learn every time I laugh , to guard " against all subjects of ridicule . An Opera is less a theatrical exhibition than the assemblage of many . Music , words , singing , dancing , machines , decorations : What ex-! How different-operators ! The speclacle is brilliant , it
pence many dazzles and astonishes you ; but if you proceed to the analysis of most operas , you will find either great faults in each part , or that , out of good parts in themselves , a very indifferent whole has been made . There are few but delig ht in music : It is the most exquisite and most innocent of all pleasures ; it is a pleasure of all ages , all states , all places , and of almost all . tastes ; it may be enjoyed in its whole extent at
the expence of another , without being importunate ; and it may be also enjoyed in solitude : It prevents or alleviates the lowness of spirits , and raises the soul from the dejeftion she is sometimes thrown into by the iniquity of man . The . voice , by its sweetness and different inflexions , persuades the mind , and touches the heart ; and some are of opinion , that there is no music so agreeable as the sounds of the voice of a beloved person .
There is a sort of danger in a taste for music which should be carefully avoided ; and this is to be so much taken with it , as to make it one ' s sole or favouiite occupation . This excess is a vice of the taste , and mind ; and the man of quality , who behaves in this respedt as the musician by profession , lies open to the same ridicule as the musician who negleftsmusic : But let not the fear of being too fond of music
hinder your loving and learning it . Whoever does not love music is deprived of the most innocent of p leasures . Whoever does not know it cannot discern all its beauty ; and he has negle & ed a talent , by the help of which he mig ht possess wherewithal to amuse himself , and have an opportunity of amusing others . The principal end of music is to unbend the mind , and give it new strength , in order that it may
afterwards apply itself with better advantage to labour . As to the pleasures of the table , nothing more can bs recommended , in their use , than sobriety and moderation for health's sake ; and , in their choice and quality of preparation , the taste of the nation one lives in , or has been accustomed to , may be judged good and rational . There is no possibility of bei ' . > g an arbiter in such case ; so that all persons may enjoy " the cruditus hixas" of Petrcnius , by consulting only their own fancy and palate . FR AT . AQUIL . ROM " . Edinburgh , April 22 , 1793 .
Anecdote Of A Wretched Portrait Painter.
ANECDOTE OF A WRETCHED PORTRAIT PAINTER .
TFIIS Painter , who affefted to be a free-thinker , was one day talking very unworthily of the Bible ; a Clergyman maintained to him , that he was not only a speculative but a practical believer ; the painter diniedit ; the clergyman said he could prove it ; " you strictl y observe the second commandment , said the parson ; for in your pictures , you make not the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above , or in the earth beneath , or in the water under the earth . " R . J .